Downward-facing dog. Thread the needle. Jump rope. Seated shoulder press. Barbell glute bridge.
Disha peered at her laptop screen, her nose scrunched up in confusion as she tried to make sense of a jumble of fitness terms that were absolutely alien to her.
At 30, Disha had earned the title of a self-proclaimed couch potato. Exercise? Nope, not her thing. In fact, the very idea of moving more than necessary had always been a struggle. But there was one thing she did get right—her diet.
She always ate healthy and considered it her golden rule. But every time someone invited her to attend a spin class or go on a hike, she'd politely refuse.
But turning 30 had done the job that no one ever could. It had persuaded her to prioritise fitness, and that meant she could no longer evade working out. But where to start?
Should she join a gym? Is home exercise enough? Should she focus on cardio, or was it time to lift weights? The options were endless, and the choices were overwhelming.
If you’re in the same boat as Disha, lost in a sea of fitness advice and trying to figure out the best path for you, don’t worry—this guide is for you! Let’s break it down together and find a workout routine that suits you.
Cardio, short for cardiovascular training, is any exercise that gets your heart rate up and keeps it elevated for a while. Think of it as giving your heart a workout.
When you do cardio, you start breathing faster and deeper, which makes your respiratory system work harder. Your heart will beat faster. It will pump that oxygen-rich blood to your muscles— and, again, back to your lungs.
Your blood vessels will expand to bring more oxygen to your muscles and carry away toxic waste like lactic acid. On top of that, your body will release endorphins—those feel-good chemicals that act like natural painkillers and help boost your mood.
In short, cardio is great for your heart, helps you burn calories, and can leave you feeling better overall. But if your idea of cardio is just running on a treadmill, we’ve got news for you - there are way more fun ways to get your cardio in!
If you think cardio is a bit dull (we totally get it!), don’t worry—you can switch it up and find something that’s way more exciting.
So, what counts as cardio?
Walking
Jogging
Running
Hiking
Cycling
Jump Rope or Skipping Rope
Boxing
Dancing
Organised Sports
Jumping jacks
Taking the stairs
Hula-Hooping
Rowing
Swimming
Trampoline-ing
Strength training, as the name suggests, is all about building strength. It’s any exercise that challenges your muscles to work harder, usually by using weights or some form of resistance.
So, whether it’s weight training, lifting dumbbells, or resistance exercises, the idea is the same: your muscles work against an external force (like weights or resistance bands), causing them to contract. Over time, this helps build strength, endurance, and even muscle growth.
In short, strength training is about making your muscles work harder so they can get stronger and more toned. It's not just about bulking up—it also improves your overall endurance and makes everyday tasks easier.
Cardio is like a tune-up for your heart and lungs. Studies show that people who do cardio regularly tend to have a lower resting heart rate and better lung capacity.
When you do cardio, you're challenging your heart and lungs to work harder, which builds your energy and stamina over time.
Incorporating cardio into your routine can also lower your risk of things like high cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks. So, it's not just about burning calories—it's about taking care of your overall health.
If weight loss is your goal, cardio is a great option since it burns a lot of calories in a relatively short amount of time. But the benefits don’t stop there—it also helps boost your immunity and keeps your brain sharp, improving cognitive function.
Plus, cardio is known for boosting your mood. It can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, leaving you feeling more relaxed and at ease.
And the cherry on top? It can help you live longer and feel better while doing it.
Weight training helps you build more lean muscle, and increased muscle mass means you burn more calories over time. Also, building muscle helps to not only boost your metabolism but also increase resting metabolism in some people — that is, how many calories the body burns at rest. So you keep burning calories even after your workout session.
Any kind of strength training is also beneficial for your bone health and can improve bone density by putting stress on the bones. Stronger bones mean you are better protected against injuries and have a lower likelihood of developing osteoporosis.
Strength training can also contribute to improved brain health, enhancing cognitive function. This can help prevent or reduce cognitive decline in older people.
Also, regular strength training sessions can also prevent or manage symptoms of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, obesity and depression.
Strength training helps to improve your mobility, balance, flexibility, posture and overall sense of well-being.
Weight training is a great way to build lean muscle, and the cool part is that more muscle means you burn more calories over time. As you build muscle, your metabolism gets a nice boost.
In some cases, it even increases your resting metabolism—meaning you’ll burn calories even when you’re just chilling after your workout.
But the benefits don't stop at muscles. Strength training is great for your bones too. By putting stress on your bones, it helps improve bone density, which means you’re better protected against injuries and have a lower risk of conditions like osteoporosis.
It can also work wonders for your brain. Regular strength training can enhance cognitive function and research shows it can even help prevent or slow down cognitive decline, especially in older adults.
Plus, strength training isn’t just about looking good—it can actually help prevent or manage chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, obesity, and even depression.
And let’s not forget the practical benefits: strength training improves your mobility, balance, flexibility, and posture—so you’ll feel stronger, more agile, and more confident in everything you do.
As one person put it, "Strength training is so you can feel strong enough to do all the things you need to do in life, while cardio is so you can keep up with everything without getting winded."
This pretty much sums it up.
Both cardio and strength training can help with weight loss and boosting your metabolism, but they each go about it in their own way. What you choose really depends on your fitness goals and where you’re starting from.
If you’re all about getting stronger and building muscle, strength training is your go-to.
If your main focus is improving your cardiovascular health or increasing endurance, cardio could be the better fit. And if you’re looking to shed weight fast, cardio might be your pick too.
That said, cardio does burn calories quicker, but only while you're actually working out. Strength training, on the other hand, plays the long game. It helps build muscle mass, revs up your metabolism, and continues to burn calories even when you’re not working out.
The truth is, to maintain a healthy weight and improve your overall health, you should be incorporating both cardio and strength training into your routine. A balanced mix will help your body perform at its best.
A good approach is doing two days of cardio and three days of strength training each week. You could also combine the two—lift weights first, then finish off with some cardio.
Make sure to target each muscle group two to three times a week with rest days in between. Start slow and gradually build up as you go!
Why pick just one when you can have both? Cardio and strength training each bring amazing benefits to the table and can seriously boost your health. The key is to stay consistent, be patient, and of course, focus on good nutrition.
But it’s not just about working out. Make sure to include plenty of stretching, warm-ups, and cool-downs to prevent injuries and get the most out of your sessions.
A lot of the time, we get too caught up in the idea of weight loss as the ultimate fitness goal, but it’s just as important—if not more—to focus on being strong, mobile, and able to use your body to its full potential.
No matter what path you take, both cardio and strength training are super beneficial. It’s smart to work in at least one of them into your routine—especially if you're sitting at a desk all day!
Q. Can I do a mixed strength training and cardio workout?
A. No rule bars you from performing strength training and cardio on the same day. However, it can be most beneficial if you perform the two forms of workout on different days. This will give your body ample resting time.
Q. Which is more difficult - cardio or strength training?
A. Strength training needs more power than cardio. On the contrary, cardio requires lesser power but needs long-duration movement.
Q. How many reps should I do for strength training?
A. CDC recommends starting with eight to 12 reps per activity, aiming to do those sets two or three times.
Q. What does research say about combining cardio and strength training?
A. Research suggests that doing a mix of both cardio and strength training is most effective - for living longer and healthier. There’s a study that showed that people who did both cardio and strength training had a lower mortality risk than those who just did cardio.
Q. What is aerobic exercise?
A. Cardio is another term for aerobic exercise.
